Got Nature? Blog

In an effort to provide Indiana bats with more places to live and monitor their population, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife is launching two new projects that property owners can take part of. The first project involves the distribution of 100 bat houses to Hoosier properties that meet certain habitat requirements. Interest in this project has been very positive, and more than enough people have already signed their properties up for the bat houses.

The second project is open to everyone in the state, and its mission is to document the amounts of  bats traveling to and from their roosting spots in different areas of the state, whether they are in barns, trees, or in the newly installed bat houses. Participants are asked to count bats for eight to twelve nights between May 17th and July 17th. This data will be helpful to the biologists as it will aid them in knowing where to find bats during summer months. Farmers and foresters may benefit too, since these bats feed on moths of caterpillar species that damage crops and trees.

Check out SFGate’s article “Monitoring, bat house projects aim to help flying mammals” to learn more. For further questions or to get involved with the bat count, please contact Assistant Nongame Biologist Cassie Hudson at chudson@dnr.IN.gov.

Resources:
Monitoring, bat house projects aim to help flying mammals – SFGate
Indiana Bats – Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Nongame & Endangered Wildlife – Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Bat Monitoring Stations – Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Bats – The Education Store, Purdue Extension Resource Center

Cassie Hudson, Assistant Nongame Biologist
Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife